Our 10 Best In-Store Dining Experiences

Robert Sietsema

Ikea: Good for cheap furniture and cheap food, like this meatball plate.

Shopping can be an exhausting activity, and not just for one's wallet. Which is why it's so great when stores have on-site restaurants and cafés. Instant refueling to induce more shopping! So for this week's 10 Best, get out your credit cards -- we've got the 10 Best In-Store Dining Experiences.

10. Café at Ikea -- While most people have furnished their first apartments from the Swedish chain, many people forget that this giant retailer also boasts a fast-food restaurant peddling inexpensive Scandinavian eats (for example, a $4.99 Swedish meatball platter featuring 14 orbs in gravy with a scoop of mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, pictured above). It's not gourmet grub, but it's cheap and it gets the job done. Which is basically the whole point of Ikea, no? 1 Beard Street, Brooklyn, 718-246-4532

9. Armani Ristorante (Giorgio Armani) -- On the other end of the spectrum is the upscale Italian cuisine inside the Armani store. Fancy Italian fare like beef carpaccio and braised veal shanks comes in a chic, modern atmosphere that caters somewhat to the Euro-cool crowd. 717 Fifth Avenue, 212-207-1902

8. Sarabeth's Restaurant (Lord & Taylor) -- For sure, this branch of Sarabeth's isn't as good as the original, but when you're with your aging granny and need a quick spot of tea and an oatmeal cookie, this location has you covered. 424 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, 212-827-5068

7. Fred's (Barneys New York) -- If you're looking to be a lady who lunches (and who isn't, secretly?), this Continental-Italian restaurant in Barneys fits the bill. A salad is obviously what to order (how else can you maintain a svelte figure to fit into Chanel suits?), so go with the Palm Beach shrimp salad or the warm lobster salad -- and then expense the bill to your husband. 660 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, 212-833-2200